1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring an article between a pair of rotating wheels or an apparatus for wrapping an article during transfer. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring cigarettes of one package between the pair of wheels rotating at a high speed and for wrapping the cigarettes with a wrapping material during transfer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in the process of manufacturing and wrapping an article, e.g., cigarettes, an apparatus for transferring cigarettes or wrapped cigarettes and for wrapping the cigarettes during transfer is available. U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,536 discloses an example of such an apparatus.
This apparatus has a pair of rotary wheels which rotate at the same peripheral velocity in opposite directions. A plurality of heads are provided to each of these wheels along the circumferential direction. Each head has a portion for holding an article. The directions of the heads on the respective wheels are controlled by cam mechanisms or the like. Thus, when a head of one wheel and a head of the other wheel approach each other, they oppose each other while they move through a predetermined section. While these heads oppose each other, an article is transferred from the head of one wheel to the head of the other wheel. When wrapping paper or the like is supplied between the heads opposing each other during transfer of the article, the article to be transferred is wrapped and packaged by the wrapping paper.
The apparatus of this type is used for transferring an article between two manufacturing and wrapping apparatuses or wrapping the article in the manner as described above in, e.g., the process of manufacturing and wrapping cigarettes.
However, this apparatus has various drawbacks that need improvement. For example, when cigarettes of one package are to be wrapped, e.g., 20 cigarettes are stacked in three layers respectively including 7, 6, and 7 cigarettes in a staggered manner to constitute a cigarette group (a unit of one-package cigarettes in which 20 cigarettes are stacked in three layers), and this cigarette group is wrapped. However, this cigarette group can easily collapse and it is difficult to directly transfer this cigarette group as it is. Especially, as the speed of the cigarette manufacturing/wrapping apparatus is increased recently, it is difficult to transfer the cigarette group between a pair of wheels at a high speed without collapsing it.